Driver Glitch Limits Overclocking of NVIDIA’s GeForce 7800 GTX Chip

NVIDIA has confirmed a bug in its current driver software that prevents serious overclocking - by shutting down a graphics card not just when it runs too hot, but also too cool, Tom’s Hardware Guide has learned.

Modern hardware such as Nvidia’s latest graphic chip generation support temperature monitoring features that automatically can decrease clock speed and even disable graphic cards when the chip gets too hot. This "software protection mode" however works in two directions, sources told Tom’s Hardware Guide. The card is not only shut down when temperatures get too high, but also when they fall below a certain level. This is especially the case when GeForce 7800 GTX cards are prepared for overclocking with water or liquid nitrogen cooling systems.